All
young people were in the age range of 14 – 18 Year olds, Two Councillors also
attended the meeting these were; Councillor Alan Dean (Labour party) and
Councillor Rosie Jolly (Liberal Democratic Party). Youthworkers attended with
their groups

Agenda South Central YAG Evaluation meeting.

Welcome and
Introduction.

Ice Breaker (Shoot
the sheriff)

What South central
YAG has achieved within the last six months.

What skills/
learning have you gained from the last six months?

Break.

Activity –
Exploring your area and your understanding of politics.

User satisfaction
survey.

Evaluation.

What the meeting was about

The
Aim of the South Central meeting was for young people to identify what they had
achieved over the previous six months within the YAG.

To
work as a group

To
identify their skills and learning

To
explore the area and explore understanding of politics. It was also an
opportunity to celebrate National Youth Work Week

The
meeting began by all sitting in a circle and going around introducing ourselves
saying our name and what unit each young person/ staff was from.

A
worker introduced the ice breaker which was Shoot the sheriff; this made all
young people feel relaxed and comfortable before starting the meeting.

What has the
South Central YAG achieved over the previous six months and what learning and
skills have you gained from this?

These
are the things that the young people identified as achievements this year for
South Central YAG:

vYAG
residential –City Wide Question time

vMeeting
with councillors over YOF Money.

vSouth
Central Question time.

vBlack
History Treasure hunt.

vChildrens’
services -Young person of the year award.

vResidential.
Outdoor pursuit confidence building

vUnity
roof (£15,000 raised so far.)

vAnti
Racism course.

vGirl’s
workshop.

vSouth
Central fashion show 2009 - 2010-

vFunding
for girls room.

vGot into
YAG and now doing Voluntary work.

vPlanned
and coordinated Question time.

vBuilt
relationships with other young people.

vArea
Camp.

vFootball
coaching.

vDoing
level 3 youth work course.

Skills and learning gained by the young people:

vConfidence.

vStructure
of funding bids.

vDecision
making and people skills.

vFootball
coaching.

vPublic
Speaking.

vEvent
organising and co-ordinating.

vSpeaking
and communicating with other young people and staff.

vWorking
as a team.

vCamera
skills.

vHow to do
outdoor activities e.g. water rafting.

vResearch
skills.

vFollowing
instructions.

vJobs and
applications.

vEverybody’s
got a voice.

vSelf
esteem.

vSocial
skills and meeting new people.

vListening
skills.

vWomen’s
position in society.

vPolitics
and gender.

Exploring
your area and exploring politics.

The aim of this activity was for young people, youth
workers and local politicians to have a say about how they feel in and about
their area and for them to have a say about their understanding of politics.
This debate encouraged the participants to either agree or disagree on the given
statement. If they were unsure they could stay in the middle of the room. Once
participants decided what their opinion was the facilitator questioned the group
on why they chose this answer. This made way for some deep and meaningful
discussions especially when Politicians were given the role of a young person at
risk and asked to now view the question as that young person.

The questions that were asked were:

Do you think
that there are enough spaces, facilities/ things to do in your local area for
young people?

The majority of the young people disagreed with this
question. Some of the young people said that there is nothing in Aigburth. Young
people thought St Michaels was too far away from Aigburth Vale for them to use

In general do you feel safe in your area?

Two people expressed the view that they did not feel
safe at the moment as there were young children throwing fireworks around,
people shooting at each other and houses getting petrol bombed.

The rest of the group agreed.

They said
that being part of a community made them feel safe

Do you think
that we should have section 30’?

The majority of the young people/ staff and councillors
all disagreed with this question. Adopting the role as a young person with a
disability one councillor said he would feel safer if he was a wheel chair user
if there was a section 30. In the role as a young person with mental health
concerns a councillor said she may not know what a section 30 is.

Young people said that people make assumptions when
they are in a group that they are going to cause trouble. And that they feel
less safe when they are split up.

Do you think that young people have any way of influencing politics?

6 young people, staff and councillors all agreed on
this question.5 of the young
people stayed in the middle and the rest of the group disagreed with this
question.

One young woman said, there is a way that young people
can but they don’t know how, young peoples issues are never on the agendas of
council meetings, and it is never the main priority e.g. cuts from the youth
service.

At the end
of the session one young woman gave a brief presentation to the group from the
cultural ambassador group. She wishes to start a campaign for culture to be on
the school curriculum and not just part of Personal Health and Social Education.
The YAG agreed a further debate on this issue would be useful. This will be
planned for December 2010

Evaluation.

Use one word to describe tonight’s session: Don’t
repeat a word someone else has used

vDecent.

vAwesome.

vSick.

vAlright.

vGood.

vConstructive.

vFun.

vTeam
work.

vVery
positive.

vExpress
full.

vGood.

vInformative.

vLots of
fun.

vLots of
diversity.

vKnowledge.

vInteresting.

South
Central Question Time

Report

2010

@

The Aquatic
centre

Wavertree

The South
Central Youth Advisory group are a group of young people from across the area
who come together every 6 weeks to identify issues that affect young peoplein their area and participate and organize events and meetings to help
make the area a better place for young people to live in.

During
a consultation in April 2010 the South Central YAG had decided that they wanted
to hold their own area question time. This would involve a panel of councilors,
police, housing, Merseytravel and professionals from other organizations. The
aim of the event was for young people to sit with the panel and for the young
people to feel empowered, for all young people to have a voice and for them to
have their chance of asking the panel questions.

In order for
the Question Time to take place the young people had regular YAG meetings, and
within the meetings the young people discussed who they wanted on the panel, the
venue, the lay out of the night and the publicity. The young people achieved
this within the YAG meeting with the support of the workers.

The young
people wanted two panels and two rooms in which each panel would be allocated.
This would give each young people a chance to ask the panel a question and for
the panel to answer.

On
the night of the event young people decided that when young people came they
were to sign in, be welcome to a drink and to socializing with other young
people. Each unit got split into groups and each group would be allocated to a
room.Each room had a panel of six
professionals. Each room would have 30 minutes in order for young people to ask
the panel questions, in which after the 30 minutes was up the panel would swap.
Each room had a chairperson which was a young person from the YAG. All young
people had a chance to ask the panel a question which was related to their area
or their centre.

At the end of
the Question Time meeting there was food and refreshments available and young
people, youth workers and members of the panel were able to come together
informally and chat.

The event
went really well. Young people were satisfied as they got to ask the panel
questions and that questions were answered.

All young
people from the YAG were really proud of the event as all their hard work of
organizing the event had paid off.

The whole
point of this event was for young people to get answers from the questions they
had .This was successful, but only because the YAG had worked as a group and
discussed the questions that they thought other young people may have, and then
invited the panel who they thought would be able to answer these questions

In order for
everything that the young people wished to happen on the night there was an
interlay made.

SOUTH CENTRAL - YAG QUESTION
TIME

Monday 20th
September 6-9pm

At
The Aquatic Centre Wavertree

6pm-
Arrivals and registration

6.30
till 7.15pm- Question time (room 1& 2)

7.15
Till 8pm- Question time (Panel change room)

8
till 8.15pm - Evaluation, view evidence of work with young people.

8.15
Till 9pm - Food and refreshments.

9pm-
Finish.

Minutes.

On the night
of the event one young person in each room made notes of the questions young
people put forward and the answers the panel gave back.

These are the
questions that were put forward to the panel and the answers that were given.

Why do Buses go past young people?

Chris Murphy
“This shouldn’t happen; it may be that the buses are full but you are able
to report this.”

Why
do all the prices on buses go up despite environmental concerns?

Chris Murphy
“Because of the fuel prices and the graffiti. There is a young citizen’s
project. Why not bring it up with the government themselves. Young people’s
fares are half.”

Why are there no
activities?

Andy Wignall
“There are, there is funding for climbing activities.”

Why is it from 16 you are
considered as an adult on the bus?

Chris Murphy
“At 16 you should be charged at student 16 not adult.”

Why are there section
30’s?

Andy Wignall
“Because numerous complaints from the residents, also because of anti social
behaviour. It is advertised on the Merseyside police website and leaflets are
handed out. The idea is not just moving the problem on young people can go to
youth clubs.”

Why have they started
charging in the gym?

Tom Morrison
“Labour councilors scrapped the free gym membership; Lib-Dems are campaigning
for it to be free again.

Taher Qassim
“Agrees they should be free because of concerns around obesity.

Why
do Childs day riders run out at 8pm?

Chris Murphy
“Get a save away.”

Educational Maintenance
Allowance cuts?

Tom Morrison
“The Government was elected four months ago. Things are getting cut but he
doesn’t think they are telling people the right things and scaring the public.
There should be more communication, so he doesn’t know.”

Why
is not everyone entitled to EMA?

Tom Morrison
“Going to take details and get answers.”

What is the government
doing for young business?

Tom Morrison
“Vince Cable is making a speech on Wednesday.”

Paying for the GYM?

Alan Dean
“The government cut it but they are trying to bring it back, it was the
government and the local Council will bring it back when funds are found.”

Why was the tram scheme
scrapped?

Alan Dean
“Scrapped to fund the Olympics. Labour denied it.

What is going to be done
with litter?

Billy Maxwell
“Councilors changed the scheme, councilors trying to get it right with the
companies working for the council.”

Alan Dean
“Will look into it.”

With the cuts how will it
affect teenage crime?

Delaney
Millward “People will be hanging around the streets more because there is
nothing to do.”

Why do bad kids get
special treatment?

Chester
Morrison “We try to make it fair, Youth Opportunity Fund; you could apply to
lots of funds which are decided by other young people.”

Alan Dean
“These kids may not have other opportunities.”

Why is the public
transport price high?

Sara Kearney
“ Merseytravel does not run transport, Business want to make money, privately
owned. Young people have a say in Youth Parliament.”

What plans are there to
refurbish the area to make it better?

Tracy “The
area has priorities, Lodge lane, Granby etc. The housing associations will work
with residents themselves to see what they want, maybe demolished and new or
improved upgraded housing.

Billy Maxwell
“State of houses, starting again, too bad to bring back all the houses.”

Alan Dean
“80% of houses to be refurbished. Tenants do not want what the councilors
planned, talking about new builds and demolishing terraces in Granby.”

With
the cuts how are we going to be funded and how is this going to affect us?

Delaney
Millward “Trying not to cut frontline services.”

Tom Morrison
“No one knows what’s going to be cut.”

What can you do for our
youth club?

Chester
Morrison “Not just activities concerned about, not enough resources,
willingness but no money. Looked at funding but none realized.”

Detached youth work is a distinct form of work with young people. As with all
youth work it uses the principles and practices of informal education to engage
young people in constructive dialogue, within a broad agenda of personal and
social development. The work is underpinned by mutual trust and respect and
responds to the needs of young people. The basis of the relationship between the
worker and the young person is mutual acceptance and parity. Traditional notions
of adult power and authority are bought into sharp focus.
All youth work seeks to work on and from young people’s ‘territory’ (as
determined by their definitions of space, needs, interests, concerns and
lifestyles). Detached youth work, however, is distinct from all other forms of
youth work as this concept of territory focuses primarily on the geographical:
detached youth workers work where young people have chosen to be, whether this
be streets, cafes, shopping centres etc. workers make contact with young people
wherever they are. So detached youth work is often free from the constraints of
centre based youth work – where buildings are specifically set up for the
purpose of youth work. Detached youth workers don’t have to manage a building
or property. This is not to say buildings won’t be used; indeed they sometimes
become a feature of more developed practice. But in detached youth work, contact
happens on the street, and relationships are developed there too.
Detached youth work is , above all, about working flexibly. As they don’t have
to look after buildings they can use their geographical flexibility to best meet
the needs of young people. They celebrate the uncertainty implied by an open
ended way of working and value this for its democratic credentials. They
recognize its effectiveness in engaging, in particular, with those young people
whose lifestyles are sometimes chaotic and sit uncomfortably with order and
prescription.
The experience of many detached youth workers is that imposing an agenda acts as
a barrier to working with young people, many of whom are already disengaged from
formal learning.
The success of youth work comes from making good judgments in relation to these
risks. Pushing too hard can distance young people. Not pushing enough can fail
to challenge and inspire them. The agenda must, therefore, emerge from a
mutually respectful relationship, where hearing the other’s voice is as
important as articulating one’s own. The concept of negotiation seems to
embody this; it does not suggest control, domination or license. It accords
instead status to both parties and value to their opinions. A consensus thus
emerges.

The Federation promotes the following aims of good youth work as intrinsic to
detached youth work;
Good detached youth work should aim to;
Be an agent of social change and social action, rather than social control;
Respect the voluntary nature of the relationship between the worker and young
person;
Through negotiation and dialogue, challenge young people’s attitudes and
behavior where they impact negatively on themselves and others;
Support meaningful participation of young people in political decision making
processes and ensure their voices are heard;
Model such participatory values in all its interactions with young people;
Support the progressive personal development of all young people towards self
advocacy through learning.

Detached youth work does NOT aim to;

‘Sell’ existing centre-based provision or other services to young people not
accessing these services (we see this as out-reach work)- although if young
people want to gain access to services, detached youth workers have a role to
facilitate this.
‘Get young people off the streets’. It is easy to see detached youth work as
a solution to a problem and a method for reducing the offending rates of young
people by curbing or controlling their behavior. These outcomes may occur as a
result of detached youth work interventions, however the Federation sees
detached youth workers first and foremost as informal educators- others should
also see this as our primary task. We can contribute to other agendas, but it is
because detached youth workers are not tasked with crime or anti-social
behaviour reduction or reintegration of young people into the mainstream, that
they can build relationships that have the potential to have that effect.

The role of a detached youth worker is similar in many ways to that of his or
her centre based colleagues and draws entirely on the values and approach of
generic youth work. The FDYW feels, though, that there are certain
characteristics that are particular to detached youth work.
The detached youth worker:

Establishes positive relationships with young people based on mutual trust and
respect by going to where they are and engaging with them on a personal level in
their territory.
Is the primary resource. They need to carry the structure of the youth work task
around in their head, conveying its existence to young people by their actions
(as there is no buildings or equipment to provide structure)
Has to gain the confidence, trust and respect of the young people and a measure
of personal authority with (at least during the crucial initial phase) only
their own experience, values, personality, knowledge and skills as resources.
Has no authority as a result of their control over resources or any trappings of
status and can’t impose any sanction other than withdrawing contact. This
allows relationships to develop with genuine mutual trust and respect and
fosters honesty and personal responsibility.
In the light of potential misunderstandings of the role and having no
immediately tangible structure, faces a real challenge in establishing their
role in the eyes of the local community. The worker is more open to public
scrutiny as they work in a public setting.
Is skilled in gaining respect in the community and from other agencies in order
to advocate effectively for young people whose views may conflict with the
agencies.
Sees young people operating without any constraints on their behavior and can be
present when critical incidents occur. They are aware of the extent to which
they can exert control over the environment.
Is part of the social and physical environment that young people inhabit and,
therefore, can better understand the effect this has on them.
Has to be able to deal with the specific demands of approaching young people in
their own space and negotiating acceptance by the group in that space.
Is able to explain their specific role and the aims of the project therefore
making young people aware of their professional boundaries. Where workers live
and work in the same neighbourhood, this becomes essential, if young people are
to understand when a worker is and is not accessible to them.
Encourages young people to participate voluntarily in the process of assessment,
monitoring, evaluation and delivery of the service.
Has a grasp of the local political structure and understands how to enable young
people to engage with it.